I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the assembly structure of a car instrument panel mounted to a car body.
II. Description of the Related Art
The conventional general assembly structure of an instrument panel mounted to a car is described with reference to FIG. 8 through FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 8, an instrument panel 1 is mounted to a car body (not shown) via a steering support member 2, extending in the direction of the width of the car, for supporting a steering column (not shown).
The steering support member 2 is coupled at the both end portions thereof to the car body via side brackets 3, 4, and the steering column is mounted to a steering bracket 5 to be thereby supported.
The instrument panel 1 is coupled at the upper side thereof to a bracket provided on the steering support member 2 by means of screws (not shown). The lower portion of the instrument panel 1 is mounted directly by means of a screw 8 to an instrument panel fixing seat 7 (see FIG. 9), which is fixed to a car-body side panel 6 of the car body. Thus, the instrument panel 1 is mounted to the car body. Incidentally, reference numeral 9 designates a glove box, reference numeral 10 designates a steering column hole, and reference numeral 11 designates a meter cluster.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 10, a dash side trim 12, mounted to both inner side portions of the car body, adjacent to the instrument panel 1 is directly mounted to the car-body side panel 6 of the car body by means of a screw 13.
The assembly structure of the conventional instrument panel, however, suffers from a number of drawbacks. For example, because the lower portion of the instrument panel 1 is directly coupled to the car-body side panel 6 of the car body, the mounting position of the instrument panel 1 varies depending on the assembly accuracy of the car body panel of the car body. This configuration causes compressive or tensile stress to act on the instrument panel 1. For this reason, strain will be produced in the instrument panel 1, resulting in uneven clearance between a component of the instrument panel 1, such as the glove box 9 or a steering column cover (not shown), and a neighboring part of the instrument panel 1, such as the dash side trim 12.
The advantages and purposes of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Moreover, the advantages and purposes of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
The present invention was developed in view of the disadvantages of the prior art. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide the assembly structure of an instrument panel, which alleviates variations in assembly accuracy of the instrument panel and thereby provides improved appearance.
To solve the aforementioned problems, the instrument panel assembly structure according to the invention includes an instrument panel having an upper portion coupled to a steering support member arranged to extend parallel to the instrument panel and support a steering panel; a side bracket arranged to mount an end portion of the steering support member to a car body, and having an extended portion extending away from the steering support member; a first mounting portion supported by the extended portion of the side bracket, and coupled to a lower portion of the instrument panel; and a second mounting panel supported by the extended portion of the side bracket and coupled to the car body.
In the structure adapted as described above, the instrument panel is mounted to the car body via the steering support member but not coupled directly to the car body, thereby making it possible to improve the assembly accuracy of the instrument panel without being affected by variations in assembly accuracy of the body panel of the car body.
The instrument panel assembly structure according to the invention further includes a separate cover arranged to cover a surface of a coupling portion of the first mounting portion. This makes it possible to provide to improve the appearance of the instrument panel assembly, and allows the coupling portion to be placed at the front of the instrument panel.
The instrument panel assembly structure according to the invention further includes a cover that is located near a glove box of the instrument panel. This configuration allows the parting of the lines of the glovebox and the cover to be flush with each other.
The instrument panel assembly structure according to the present invention further includes a cover and a glove box that display a common color different from the color of the instrument panel. This configuration allows the instrument panel to be provided with two levels of halftone color.
The instrument panel assembly structure according to the present invention also includes a glove box having a surface configured to cover a surface of the coupling portion of the first mounting portion of the instrument panel. This configuration allows the surface of a coupling portion of the first mounting portion of the instrument panel to be covered with a cover portion. It is thus possible to further improve the appearance of the instrument panel, and place the coupling portion at the front of the instrument panel. Furthermore, the design surface of the glove box is extended to form a cover portion, thereby obviating the need for a separate cover.
The instrument panel assembly structure according to the present invention yet further includes a first mounting portion that includes a coupling portion provided on a side portion of the instrument panel. This arrangement allows the surface of the coupling portion of the first mounting portion of the instrument panel to be hidden behind the side portion of the instrument panel, thereby obviating the need for a cover for covering the coupling portion.
The instrument panel assembly structure according to the present invention also includes a third mounting portion arranged on the extended portion of the side bracket, and coupled to a dash side trim so as to cover both side portions of an inside portion of the car body. This configuration allows the first mounting portion and the third mounting portion, provided on the common side bracket, to be coupled with the instrument panel and dash side trim, respectively. This makes it possible to improve the positioning accuracy between the instrument panel and the dash side trim irrespective of the assembly accuracy of the body panel.
As described above, the instrument panel assembly structure according to the invention set forth in the appended claims is adapted such that the instrument panel is mounted to the car body via the steering support member, but not coupled directly to the car body. As a result, it is possible to improve the assembly accuracy of the instrument panel irrespective of the assembly accuracy of the body panel of the car body. Moreover, the strain caused by assembly can be alleviated and clearances between the instrument panel and other parts can be made uniform, thereby making it possible to provide improved appearance.
In addition to the effects of the present invention include improving the appearance of the instrument panel assembly since the surface of the coupling portion of the first mounting portion of the instrument panel is covered with a cover. Furthermore, a coupling portion can be placed at the front of the instrument panel, thereby making it possible to improve the process of assembling the instrument panel itself.
Additionally, the present invention allows the parting lines of the glove box and the cover to be flush with each other, thereby making it possible to still further improve the appearance of the instrument panel assembly.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.